laid off?

I received this email this morning and am unsure exactly what to do with it... can someone please help this fellow?

I am a proud Local 705 UPS Driver and have been for the last 25 years. I found out yesterday that I am getting laid off two days before Christmas and next to my name it says ON CALL. I have never heard of ON CALL. What does this mean? I have tried to contact my business agent and various other people at the Local and the International. Nobody as replied or taken my calls. Can someone please contact me with an answer about what is going on? My Christmas is now crushed by this!

Could this be some sort of Advance Notice required by law of expected layoffs? I remember in years past that myself and others would receive a similar notice for the expected volume drop after Christmas. Generally there are enough folks willing to take a day off to prevent any real layoffs. Ive already volunteered to take the 26th and 27th off!! LOL!!

In some centers it is not unusual for all drivers, regardless of how much seniority they have, to be given a lay off notice. They did that in our centers untill about 6 years ago. Used to claim it was to cover their butts should there be too little volume to work all the senior drivers.

But have there ever been any managers laid off after christmas? Or sups?

I also volunteer to take at least 2 weeks off after the 25th to go to Florida, and have done so for the last 20 or so years.

I'm not sure if the original email that Cheryl got was from a Feeder or Delivery driver, but let's think this through as it pertains to peak.

If it was a Feeder driver, it might make sense. His run may have been just for peak only, and if he bid on it, and it was planned to be eliminated two days before peak, then the lay-off would make sense. Realistically, I don't think he will actually be on a lay-off, he will just have to go work a delivery job in a package center. If I were a long time Feeder driver, and had to go back to a package car on the two days before Christmas, I might not be happy either. Those will be clean-up days.

I can't see anyone being laid off until December 26th. It happens every year. The volume drops, and the need for routes/feeder runs drop. It usually comes back in mid-January.

I agree. Our center ran 55 or 60 routes Friday. My sup told me that the plan called for 18 on Thursday. I didnt inquire about Friday the 27th. Up until a couple of years ago, everyone in the center received a similar notice. I came into UPS as a Christmas driver in 86 and my job continued on the 26th. I had my 30 days before mid January. As I stated in an earlier response, I volunteered to take off the 26th and 27th, only for the benefit of junior employees you understand. LOL!

All the TDP drivers in my HUB are listed as "ON CALL" for Monday the 23rd.
We all have bid runs and there is no "swing board" (on-call drivers) for the TDP department. If we need extra TDP drivers we just cover that work by the Feeder's swing board (on-call drivers).
On top of that... last week, we were all talked to by management that we will all be starting work on Monday at our regular times. So we asked "why then are we listed as "on call" up on next weeks schedule ? All they told us was that "it's procedure".
So I guess it really is just to cover their butts.

There is 75 -80 Feeder layoffs in Chicago area feeder depts. effective today. Centers affected most are CACH, Franklin Park, Jefferson St. and Nortbrook. Layoffs are via center senority so a driver with 25 FT years but new to feeder center can be laid off. The option is 1 week layoff than back to package car work. In 705 UPS created CACH Hub as it's own district. 80% of the feeder layoffs are coming at CACH. Those Feeder drivers have no Package Car Centers top bump into, it is feeder only center. The only option is 2 PT jobs and a $7.00 an hour paycut. Thanks to 705 negotiators for this one.